Paper catcher device

ABSTRACT

A portable auxiliary paper catcher or stacker device for particular use in newspaper printing lines of the type where the printed newspapers are continuously moved at high speed from the printing press area to conventional counter-stacker apparatus by means of a conventional conveyor system. The new paper catcher or stacker comprises a vertically elongated cabinet type arrangement positionable close to the conveyor system adjacent the counterstacker apparatus. A paper receiving basket or platen is disposed within the cabinet to be selectively movable from a normal position disposed adjacent the cabinet top end to a second position spaced toward the cabinet bottom end. Spring biasing means are employed to continuously urge the platen toward the normal position with the urging force of the biasing means being overcome by the weight of papers received on the platen. During line operation, should the counter-stacker apparatus become temporarily jammed or otherwise inoperative, the flow of papers may be temporarily diverted to the new paper catcher for temporary stacking and storage until the entire printing line may be shut down. This avoids the waste which has previously been experienced when papers moving toward the jammed counter-stacker have been manually removed from the line and thrown onto the floor or any other area available, until such time as the presses could be shut down.

United States Patent [191 McKenzie [451 Sept. 23, 1975 PAPER CATCHERDEVlCE Theodore R. McKenzie, McConnellsburg, Pa.

[75] Inventor:

[22] Filed: Mar. 15, 1974 [2]] App]. No.: 451,501

[52] 11.5. C1. 271/219 [51] B6511 5/16 [58] Field 01 Search 271/64, 219,207, 213; 2 14/6 H [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,694,63812/1928 Borrowdale 271/219 1,717,858 6/1929 Thomas 271/64 1,928,92310/1933 Anderson. 271/219 2,904,335 9/1959 Rabinow 271/219 3,189,3426/1965 BOCOCk 271/64 3,429,239 2/1969 Murchison et al 271/64 PrimaryExaminerJames B. Marbert Att0rney,-Agen!, or FirmFay & Sharpe [57]ABSTRACT A portable auxiliary paper catcher or stacker device forparticular use in newspaper printing lines of the type where the printednewspapers are continuously moved at high speed from the printing pressarea to conventional counter-stacker apparatus by means of aconventional conveyor system. The new paper catcher or stacker comprisesa vertically-elongated cabinet type arrangement positionable close tothe conveyor system adjacent the counter-stacker apparatus. A paperreceiving basket or platen is disposed within the cabinet to beselectively movable from a normal position disposed adjacent the cabinettop end to a second position spaced toward the cabinet bottom end.Spring biasing means are employed to continuously urge the platen towardthe normal position with the urging force of the biasing means beingovercome by the weight of papers received on the platen. During lineoperation, should the counter-stacker apparatus become temporarilyjammed or otherwise inoperative, the flow of papers may be temporarilydiverted to the new paper catcher for temporary stacking and storageuntil the entire printing line may be shut down. This avoids the wastewhich has previously been experienced when papers moving toward thejammed counter-stacker have been manually removed from the line andthrown onto the floor or any other area available, until such time asthe presses could be shut down.

18 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of23,907,281

Sheet 2 of 2 3,907,281

US Patent Sept. 23,1975

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n w w m PAPER CATCHER DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionpertains to the art of material handling and more particularly to thehandling of printed paper documents in a printing line.

The invention is particularly applicable to use in newspaper printinglines and will be described with particular reference thereto; however,it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the inventionhas much broader applications and may be used in any number ofenvironments where, for example, printed materials are continuouslymoved from a press or other supply source toward other processingequipment for eventual paper distribution. As used hereinafter, the termpapers refers to any type of printed or nonprinted materials and is notdeemed to refer exclusively to what is commonly known as newspapers.

In the newspaper printing industry, sophisticated printing andprocessing machinery is now employed in order to meet the circulationdemands and to print papers in an economical fashion. Generally, thismachinery is substantially automated from the stage of feeding paper tothe printing presses through the stages of cutting, folding and stackingfor subsequent distribution. Accordingly, the printing lines are able tooperate at high speed to put forth a continuous supply of newspapers atthe output end of the line. In conventional processing lines, thenewspapers are passed along a conveyor system in a continuous lapped"fashion to a paper counter-stacker for bundling. The papers are thenmoved for distribution to customers. In this lapped condition, eachnewspaper rides over a portion of the adjacent newspaper for ease ofhandling and conveying.

At the end of the final conveyor system, and with the newspapers in thefinal printed, cut and folded condition, they pass into a sophisticatedpiece of equipment for counting and stacking. Oftentimes, because of thenature of the newspapers, this apparatus becomes jammed. blocked orotherwise inoperative. This condition requires specific attention by anoperator or maintenance employee. When the counter-stacker apparatusbecomes inoperative, the supply conveyor, printing presses and othersupporting equipment, normally continue to function for an interval oftime, and produce additional newspapers until the lines can be shutdown. Since newspaper printing lines run at high speed, the number ofindividual newspapers printed during the period prior to shut down canbe rather substantial. The large number of papers which pile up once thecounter-stacker becomes inoperative have heretofore merely been removedfrom the line by hand and thrown onto the floor or elsewhere, and thusbecome scrapped. Obviously, this reduces the overall efficiency andprofitability of the operation, and produces as well undesirablehousekeeping and safety problems.

The present invention contemplates a new and improved apparatus whichovercomes problems of the type described and which provides meansadaptable for use in conjunction with printing lines which is simple,economical, reduces scrap during a printing operation, aids in reducingdown time for printing lines and which is readily adaptable for use in anumber of other environments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the presentinvention, there is provided an improvement for a paper printing line ofthe type including a conveyor system for continuously moving printedpapers from a printing press toward paper processing equipment disposedadjacent the end of the line. The improvement comprises a paper catcheror stacker disposed along the line adjacent the paper processingequipment for selective alternate use in temporarily receiving andstacking papers if the paper processing equipment should becomeinoperative. Means are also included for selectively diverting the flowof papers along the conveyor system from the processingequipment to thepaper catcher or stacker.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the papercatcher or stacker is adapted to receive and stack a plurality ofindividual papers in a generally vertically disposed face to facecondition. The device comprises a stacker frame having spaced apart sidewalls and a rear wall extending between the side walls to define anelongated paper receiving area having at least an open top end and abottom end. Disposed within the receiving area is a paper supportingbasket or platen which is selectively movable between a first normalposition disposed adjacent the frame top end and a second positionspaced from the first position toward the frame bottom end. Biasingmeans continuously urge the platen toward the first position and aredesigned such that the weight of papers received on the platen overcomesthe force of the biasing means to move the platen from the firstposition toward the second position. Means are also included toautomatically stack papers on the platen in a desired consecutive faceto face condition.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the platenhas an upper paper supporting surface which provides automatic stackingmeans. In this respect, the upper surface is angularly disposeddownwardly from the front of the receiving area toward the rear wall ofthe catcher frame so that papers received on the supporting surface arebiased toward the rear wall to effect proper stacking.

In accordance'with still another aspect of the present invention, thebiasing means comprises elongated compression springs operativelymounted between the platen and catcher frame. These springs are in acompressed condition when the platen is in the first position and in anincreasing expanded condition as the platen is moved toward the secondposition.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, thecatcher frame further includes a front wall spaced apart from the rearwall and adapted to extend between the side walls. This front wall isselectively movable between a first opened condition providing access tothe receiving area and a second closed condition enclosing the receivingarea.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a newand improved paper catcher or stacker device for use in a paperprocessing line.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved paper catcher or stacker device which is simple in design.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new andimproved paper catcher or stacker device which is reliable in operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES .The invention may take physical formin certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment ofwhich will be described in detail in the specification and illustratedin the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:.

FIG. 1 isaview of the subject paper catcher device positioned for use inits principally intended environment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the new paper catcher device;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a paper catcher with the side wall of thecatcher frame removed for ease of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the catcher taken along lines 44 ofFIG. 3; and,

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the catcher taken alonglines 55 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention only and not forpurposes of limiting same, FIG. 1 shows paper catcher A disposedadjacent paper processing apparatus comprising a conventional papercounter-stacker apparatus B along a conventional conveyor system C.

More specifically, and with reference to the other FIGURES, papercatcher A is comprised of a vertically elongated catcher frame generallydesignated 10. Frame is comprised of a pair of spaced apart side walls12, 14, a rear wall 16 and a front wall 18 so as to have an open top end20 and a closed bottom end 22. Conventional casters 24 are disposed atthe corners of the bottom end 22 to provide means of movement of thepaper catcher for reasons which will become more readily apparenthereinafter. Positioned within the catcher frame and spaced from sidewalls 12, 14 and rear wall 16 are inner side walls 26, 28 and inner rearwall 30 which define an elongated cavity area utilized for purposeswhich will become more apparent hereinafter. It should be noted that thespacing between these inner walls is such that they will fairly closelyreceive the paper materials desired to be stacked within the catcheritself. Thus, the spacing may be varied for use in differentenvironments although in the newspaper printing industry the cavity sizewill be fairly standard.

Front wall 18 comprises a door or removable wall assembly which, in thepreferred embodiment, is conventionally hinged along the side thereofadjacent side wall 14 in order that it may be selectively moved betweenopened and closed positions. This front wall further includes anelongated vertical opening for the purpose of allowing operators to viewthe stacking operation within the catcher as it proceeds and aplexiglass window generally designated 32 is conveniently received inthe opening to provide selective total enclosure for the catcher. Thedoor arrangement may also include a conventional latch arrangement (notshown) opposite from the side which is hinged to the stacker frame forlocking the door in a closed position.

Adjacent open top end 20, inner side walls 26, 28 diverge outwardly fromeach other as at beveled side walls 36, 38 respectively. Each of innerside walls 26, 28 also includes elongated longitudinally extendingthrough-slots 40, 42 and 44 for association with the paper supportingbasket or platen for guiding and stabilizing purposes as willhereinafter be more fully described. Side walls 12, 14 each includes anaccess door disposed adjacent the upper end of the catcher frame withthe access door in side wall 12 being generally designated 46. This doormay be conveniently hinged along one side thereof to'be opened andclosed as desired to gain access to the inner workings of the papercatcher itself. A similar door in side wall 14 is not shown.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the catcher framehereinabove described is primarily constructed from 16 gage sheet metalwith angle iron supports and base frame components where necessary ordesired to facilitate ease of frame construction. Obviously, othermaterials and gages may be employed without departing from the intentand scope of the present invention.

Closely received in the elongated vertical cavity defined by inner sidewalls 26, 28, inner rear wall 30 and front wall 18 is a paper supportingbasket or platen generally designated 50. In the preferred embodiment ofthe invention here under discussion, this basket or platen is preferablyconstructed from aluminum although other materials are deemed suitable.Platen 50 is comprised of an upper paper supporting surface 52, a frontwall 54, side walls 56, 58 and a rear wall 60. As will be particularlynoted from viewing FIG. 3 where the platen is shown in dashed lines,upper paper supporting surface 52 is angularly disposed relative to thehorizontal from front wall 54 to rear wall 60. This particular designprovides an automatic stacking device to assure proper paper stacking asindividual papers are continuously fed into the paper catcher as willhereinafter be more fully described. Although the particular angulardisposition of the upper paper supporting surface may vary, an angleranging from 20 to 25 has been found to be particularly suitable whenthe subject invention is employed in the newspaper printing industry.Platen side walls 56, 58 each includes a pair of guide pin receivingareas (not shown) for receiving combination support and guide pins.These receiving means may take any of a number of configurations, but inthe preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the receiving meanswill take the configuration of tubular shaped releasable pin receiversto permit ease of removal if necessary for maintenance or replacementpurposes.

Platen biasing means generally designated are p0- sitioned in the areadefined between side walls 12, 14 and their respective'inner side walls26, 28 and which may best be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. It is intendedthat these biasing means will supply a constant upward biasing force topaper supporting basket or platen 50 so that the basket or platen hasits first, normal position located adjacent the uppermost end of thepaper catcher frame. In this regard, detailed description of thepressure means will be made with reference to one side of the papercatcher device, it being understood springs 72, 74 having one endconveniently mounted to I a particular desired orientation so that theonly movement permitted is in the vertical direction between the top andbottom ends of the catcher frameitself. To assist in retainingcompression springs 72, 74 in position frame mouting bracket 76positioned on thepatcher.

frame at beveled side wall 36 and theother endaffixed to a platenmounting bracket 78 interconnected with platen 50. In a normalunweighted condition, springs 72, 74 are fully compressed to draw platen50 to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3 adjacent open top end26 of the paper catcher frame. In a weighted condition, the springs arestretched under the weight of the papers received on the platen at upperplaten supporting surface 52 toward the position shown in phantom inFIG. 3 adjacent bottom end 22. The specifics-of this operation will be'more fully described hereinafter; however, it should be noted that thespring tension is such that the platen continuously moves downward withits receipt and support of additional newspapers so that the uppermostlevel of the newspapers remains substantially constant at a positionadjacent open top end of the catcher frame. It will be appreciated thatother biasing means could be employed in practicing the concepts of thepresent invention without departing from the scope and intent thereof.For example, elongated, self contained hydraulic, pneumatic ormechanical cylinders could conceivably be employed. Although such anarrangement would add cost to catcher device A, there may beapplications where such addition isjustified.

Located adjacent to and associated with the platen biasing means areguide means generally designated 80.

As with the platen biasing means, one of these. guidev means assembliesis associated with the side of the catcher frame and description willagain be made with reference to just one of these means, it beingunderstood that the other is substantially identical thereto.Specifically, the guide means comprises a pair of ball type bushings 82,84 mounted to the outermost ends of the platen mounting bracket 78.These bushings are closely slidably received over elongated polishedrods 86, 88 extending in a substantially vertical direction fromadjacent open top end 20 to adjacent bottom end 22. The rods themselvesare maintained in position at the top end by separate upper mountingbrackets 90, 92 affixed to inner side walls 26 and at the lower end by acommon lower mounting bracket 94 also affixed to inner side Wall 26. Forpositive retention of the rods in the position, the ends are drilled andtapped to receive conventional bolts which pass through brackets 90, 92and 94. As will be seen, bracket 78 is slidably received, through meansof bushings 82, 84, on polished rod 86, 88 so that it may freely travelbetween the upper and bottom ends of the frame but for the continuousupward urging exerted thereon by spring biasing means 72, 74.

To retain basket or platen 50 in position withinv the frame cavity,mounting and stabilizing pins 100, 102

extend outwardly from bushings 82, 84 on each side of the frame throughslots 40, 44, respectively and into side walls56, 58 of the paperreceiving basket or platen maintenance or replacement purposes. With theabove described structure, the basket or platen is retainedj'in of thedump gate may conveniently be made to be and for guiding them duringperiods of expansion and contraction generally V or U-shaped springguides 104, 106 are disposed longitudinally along the outwardly facingsurfaces of both inner side walls 26, 28.

In utilizing the above described paper catcher device in the newspaperprinting industry, attention is particularly directed to FIGS. 1, 2 and3. FIG. 1 shows a typical use of the paper catcher in a conventionalpaper printing line. In such a line, newspapers are continually passedin the direction of arrow a along conveyor system C in an overlapped orlapped condition toward conveyor end 108. At end 108, under normaloperation conditions, the newspapers continuously pass through chute orsmaller conveyor 110 into the conventional counter-stacker apparatus B.Such apparatus is known in the art and as it does not form a part of thepresent invention, it is not described in detail herein. It should benoted, however, that such counter-stacker apparatus .is employed tofirst count and stack a predetermined number of newspapers in a face toface condition and then to bundle that stack together by convenientmeans as, for example, wire, twine or the like. The bundles are thenmoved from the counter-stacker apparatus to be transported to a loadingdock for distribution.

Inasmuch as the newspapers are in a flat face to face condition as theyenter the stacker and since the printing line operates at a high rate ofspeed, oftentimes there are malfunctions at the counter-stackerapparatus. At such occurances, it is necessary to stop the entire lineas soon as possible. Because of the time lag in detecting themalfunction and shut down of the line, a substantial number ofnewspapers back or pile up on the final leg of conveyor system C. Thesepapers necessarily have to be removed from the line before it can onceagain be made operative. To this end, backed or piled up newspapers onthe last leg of the conveyor system have in the past been merely pulledfrom the conveyor by hand and deposited onto the floor or any otherconvenient location. This, of course, creates an unsightly condition aswell as unnecessary and undesirable scrap papers. This occurs since, inthe usual course, those papers thrown on the floor require more 'laborto restack and place back on a conveyor than is cost-justified.Moreover, those papers on the floor and elsewhere are usually damagedfrom operating personnel stepping on and walking over them. The scrappedpapers amount to a substantial loss when considered in terms of thenumber of times the problem is encountered and the volume of papersprinted on a daily basis.

The above described problems, however, are substantially eliminated whenusing the subject paper catcher where, with reference to FIG. 1, it islocated immediately adjacent counterstacker apparatus B along conveyorsystem C. In the preferred embodiment here under discussion, the stackeris disposed in an operative relationship with an auxiliary chute orconveyor 112 at the conveyor end 108 so that the flow of papers may bediverted by a dump gate from toward counter-stacker apparatus B to papercatcher A. Operation automatic as, for example, through the use of limitswitches and so on. These conventional devices may be easily installedin Conjunction with the counter-stacker apparatus to immediately detectthe apparatus malfunction. In the alternative, the dump gate may beman-' ually operable by one of the printing line operators.

In any event, and assuming that a malfunction has oc-- curred in thecounter-stacking apparatus and that the dump gate is diverting paperstoward chute or conveyor 112 until the entire line can be shut down,description will now be made of paper catcher A in operation. Papers Pissuing from the outermost end of chute or conveyor 112 pass into opentop end 20 of catcher frame 10. From the outermost portion of top end20, beveled side walls 36, 38 act to guide the paper toward papersupporting basket or platen 50. Under normal operating conditions, thepapers pass along conveyor system C with the top or bottom edge leadingso that when they are diverted toward catcher A, a side edge of eachpaper engages inner rear wall 30. The papers, of course, drop onto theplaten in a consecutive face to face condition so as to stack upwardlytoward the open top-end. Since the upper paper supporting surface 52 isangularly disposed downwardly from front wall 54 toward rear wall 60,the papers will be biased toward inner rear wall 30 of the catcherframe. This arrangement thus assures that the papers will be stacked ina neat fashion for later removal and subsequent bundling and since theflow of papers is quite fast, this automatic stacking means is even moredesirable.

As papers are received on the platen, they add weight to the overallplaten structure. This weight results in forcing the platen downwardlyfrom adjacent open top end 20 toward bottom end 22 in order thatadditional papers may be received. Because each platen biasing means 70comprises elongated compression springs 72, 74, a continuous upwardbiasing force is placed against the platen and the springcharacteristics are such that the uppermost level of the stacked papersis disposed adjacent open top end 20 of the catcher frame. Plexiglasswindow 32 in front wall 18 provides easy viewing of the stackingoperation within the paper catcher structure. It should be noted thatthe subject paper catcher is particularly designed for use as an interimmeasure to reduce paper scrap in the press room until the printing lineoperation can be completely shut down. Again, because of the complexityof the printing operation, there is normally a lag time between thediscovery or sensing ofa malfunction at or adjacent apparatus B and lineshut down.

Once the line has been shut down, counter-stacker apparatus B repairedand the line again operating in a normal manner, paper catcher A may beeasily removed from the line by means of casters 24 and, for example,replaced with another, identical catcher to act as an auxiliary measureshould there again be a malfunction. Papers P stacked in the originalcatcher may v newspaper printing facilities.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferredembodiment. Obviously, modifications I and alterations will occur toothers upon the reading and understanding of this specification. It ismy intention to include all such modifications and alterations insofaras they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalentsthereof.

Having thus described my invention, I now claim: =1.- A paper' catcherdevice adapted to receive and stack a plurality of individual papers ina generally vert'icallydisposed'face'to face-condition, said devicecomprising:

a catcher frame having-spaced apart side walls and a rear wall extendingbetween said side walls to define a paper receiving cavity having atleast an open top end and a bottom end;

a paper supporting platen disposed within said cavity for selectivemovement between a first normal position adjacent said top end and asecond position spaced from said first position toward said bottom end;

operative means disposed between said platen and at least one of saidwalls forlocating said platen in said receiving cavity, said locatingmeans guiding said platen between said first and second positions;

biasing means for continuously urging said platen toward said firstposition with the weight of said papers being received on said platenbeing sufficient to overcomethe urging of said biasing means to movesaid platen from said first position toward said second position; and,

means for automatically stacking said papers on said platen in aconsecutive face to face condition.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said automatic stackingmeans comprises a portion of said platen and said top end of saidcatcher frame further includes means for guiding said papers into saidreceiving cavity, said guiding means comprising at least said frame sidewalls tapering inwardly toward each other from said top end to adjacentsaid first position, the width of said frame at said top end beinggreater than the width of the papers to be stacked.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 further including a front wall forsaid stacker frame spaced apart from said rear wall and adapted toextend between said side walls, said front wall being selectivelymovable between a first opened position providing access to saidreceiving cavity and a second closed position enclosing said receivingcavity.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said front wall is hinged toone of said side walls for pivotal movement between said first andsecond positions.

5. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said platen has an upperpaper supporting surface which includes said stacking means, saidstacking means comprising said upper supporting surface being angularlydisposed downwardly toward said rear wall from the front of saidreceiving cavity whereby papers received on said supporting surface arebiased by gravity toward engagement with said rear wall to effectdesired paper stacking.

6. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein said biasing means comprisescompression springs operably mounted between-"said platen and saidframe. said springs beingin a substantially compressed condition whensaid platedisin' said first position and in an increasinglycxpandedcondition as said platen is moved toward said s'econdpos ition.

7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein a pair of said springs aredisposed outboard of each side wall in an operative mechanicalassociation with said platen.

said locating means comprising generally rigid members extending betweensaid frame top and bottom ends and slidably interconnected with saidplaten, said side walls including elongated slot means for receiving theinterconnection between said rigid members and said platen with theuppermost ends of said slot means defining said first position and thelowermost ends of said slot means defining said second position.

8. The device as defined in claim further including a front wall forsaid catcher frame spaced apart from said rear wall and adapted toextend between said side walls, said front wall being selectivelymovable between a first opened position providing access to saidreceiving cavity and a second closed position enclosing said receivingcavity.

9. The device as defined in claim 8 wherein said front wall is hinged toone of said side walls for pivotal movement between said first andsecond conditions.

10. in a paper processing line of the type including a conveying systemfor continuously moving papers from initial processing apparatus towardfinal processing apparatus, the improvement comprising:

a paper catching device disposed in communication with said line alongsaid conveyor system for selected use with said line in receiving andstacking said papers when said final processing apparatus becomestemporarily inoperative, said catcher device comprising a catcher framehaving spaced apart side walls and a rear wall extending between saidside walls to define a paper receiving cavity having at least an opentop end and a bottom end; a paper supporting platen disposed within saidreceiving cavity for selective movement between a first normal positionadjacent said top end and a second position spaced from said firstposition toward said bottom end; operative means disposed between saidplaten and at least one of said walls for locating said platen in saidreceiving cavity, said locating means guiding said platen between saidfirst and second positions; biasing means for continuously urging saidplaten toward said first position with the weight of said papersreceived on said platen being sufficient to overcome the urging of saidbiasing means to move said platen from said first position toward saidsecond position; means for automatically stacking said papers on saidplaten in a consecutive face to face condition; and, means in said linefor selectively diverting the flow of said papers from toward said finalprocessing apparatus to said paper catcher.-

11. The improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein said automaticstacking means comprises a portion of said platen and said top end ofsaid catcher further includes means for guiding said paper into saidreceiving cavity, said guiding means comprising at least said frame sidewalls tapering inwardly toward each other from said top end to adjacentsaid first position, the width of said frame at said top end beinggreater that the width of the papers to be stacked.

12. The improvement as defined in claim 11 wherein said platen has anupper paper supporting surface which includes said stacking means, saidstacking means comprising said upper surface being angularly disposeddownwardly toward said rear wall from the front of said receiving cavitywhereby papers received on said supporting surface are biased by gravitytoward engagement with said rear wall to effect desired paper stacking.

13. The improvement as defined in claim 12 wherein said diverting meanscomprises a dump gate disposed along said conveyor system forselectively diverting said papers to said paper catcher, said linefurther including means for selectively actuating said gate.

14. The improvement as defined in claim 13 wherein said biasing meanscomprises compression springs operably mounted between said platen andsaid frame, said springs being in a substantially compressed conditionwhen said platen is in said first position and in an increasinglyexpanded condition as said platen is moved toward said second position.

15. The improvement as defined in claim 14 wherein a pair of saidsprings are disposed outboard of each side wall in an operativemechanical association with said platen, said locating means comprisinggenerally rigid members extending between said frame top and bottom endsand slidably interconnected with said platen, said side walls includingelongated slot means for receiving the interconnection between saidrigid members and said platen with the uppermost ends of said slot meansdefining said first position and the lowermost ends of said slot meansdefining said second position.

16. The improvement as defined in claim 12 further including a frontwall for said catcher frame spaced apart from said rear wall and adaptedto extend said side walls, said front wall being selectively movablebetween a first opened position providing access to said receivingcavity and a second closed position enclosing said receiving cavity.

17. The improvement as defined in claim 16 wherein said front wall ishinged to one of said side walls for pivotal movement between said firstand second positions.

18. In a paper catcher device adapted to receive a plurality ofindividual papers on a paper receiving platen wherein said catcherdevice includes a catcher frame having side walls and at least a rearwall defining a paper receiving cavity with said platen received in saidcavity and adapted for generally vertical movement therein such that theuppermost level of said papers remains substantially constant relativeto said device, the improvement comprising:

said platen having a paper supporting surface which includes automaticstacking means for stacking said papers in a desired face to facecondition as they are received on said supporting surface. said stackingmeans comprising said supporting surface being angularly disposeddownwardly toward said rear wall from the front of said cavity wherebypapers received on said supporting surface are biased by gravity towardengagement with said rear wall to effect desired paper stacking.

1. A paper catcher device adapted to receive and stack a plurality ofindividual papers in a generally vertically disposed face to facecondition, said device comprising: a catcher frame having spaced apartside walls and a rear wall extending between said side walls to define apaper receiving cavity having at least an open top end and a bottom end;a paper supporting platen disposed within said cavity for selectivemovement between a first normal position adjacent said top end and asecond position spaced from said first position toward said bottom end;operative means disposed between said platen and at least one of saidwalls for locating said platen in said receiving cavity, said locatingmeans guiding said platen between said first and second positions;biasing means for continuously urging said platen toward said firstposition with the weight of said papers being received on said platenbeing sufficient to overcome the urging of said biasing means to movesaid platen from said first position toward said second position; and,means for automatically stacking said papers on said platen in aconsecutive face to face condition.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1wherein said automatic stacking means comprises a portion of said platenand said top end of said catcher frame further includes means forguiding said papers into said receiving cavity, said guiding meanscomprising at least said frame side walls tapering inwardly toward eachother from said top end to adjacent said first position, the width ofsaid frame at said top end being greater than the width of the papers tobe stacked.
 3. The device as defined in claim 2 further including afront wall for said stacker frame spaced apart from said rear wall andadapted to extend between said side walls, said front wall beingselectively movable between a first opened position providing accEss tosaid receiving cavity and a second closed position enclosing saidreceiving cavity.
 4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said frontwall is hinged to one of said side walls for pivotal movement betweensaid first and second positions.
 5. The device as defined in claim 2wherein said platen has an upper paper supporting surface which includessaid stacking means, said stacking means comprising said uppersupporting surface being angularly disposed downwardly toward said rearwall from the front of said receiving cavity whereby papers received onsaid supporting surface are biased by gravity toward engagement withsaid rear wall to effect desired paper stacking.
 6. The device asdefined in claim 5 wherein said biasing means comprises compressionsprings operably mounted between said platen and said frame, saidsprings being in a substantially compressed condition when said platedis in said first position and in an increasingly expanded condition assaid platen is moved toward said second position.
 7. The device asdefined in claim 6 wherein a pair of said springs are disposed outboardof each side wall in an operative mechanical association with saidplaten, said locating means comprising generally rigid members extendingbetween said frame top and bottom ends and slidably interconnected withsaid platen, said side walls including elongated slot means forreceiving the interconnection between said rigid members and said platenwith the uppermost ends of said slot means defining said first positionand the lowermost ends of said slot means defining said second position.8. The device as defined in claim 5 further including a front wall forsaid catcher frame spaced apart from said rear wall and adapted toextend between said side walls, said front wall being selectivelymovable between a first opened position providing access to saidreceiving cavity and a second closed position enclosing said receivingcavity.
 9. The device as defined in claim 8 wherein said front wall ishinged to one of said side walls for pivotal movement between said firstand second conditions.
 10. In a paper processing line of the typeincluding a conveying system for continuously moving papers from initialprocessing apparatus toward final processing apparatus, the improvementcomprising: a paper catching device disposed in communication with saidline along said conveyor system for selected use with said line inreceiving and stacking said papers when said final processing apparatusbecomes temporarily inoperative, said catcher device comprising acatcher frame having spaced apart side walls and a rear wall extendingbetween said side walls to define a paper receiving cavity having atleast an open top end and a bottom end; a paper supporting platendisposed within said receiving cavity for selective movement between afirst normal position adjacent said top end and a second position spacedfrom said first position toward said bottom end; operative meansdisposed between said platen and at least one of said walls for locatingsaid platen in said receiving cavity, said locating means guiding saidplaten between said first and second positions; biasing means forcontinuously urging said platen toward said first position with theweight of said papers received on said platen being sufficient toovercome the urging of said biasing means to move said platen from saidfirst position toward said second position; means for automaticallystacking said papers on said platen in a consecutive face to facecondition; and, means in said line for selectively diverting the flow ofsaid papers from toward said final processing apparatus to said papercatcher.
 11. The improvement as defined in claim 10 wherein saidautomatic stacking means comprises a portion of said platen and said topend of said catcher further includes means for guiding said paper intosaid receiving cavity, said guiding means comprising at least said frameside walls tapering inwardly toward each other from said top end toadjacent said first position, the width of said frame at said top endbeing greater that the width of the papers to be stacked.
 12. Theimprovement as defined in claim 11 wherein said platen has an upperpaper supporting surface which includes said stacking means, saidstacking means comprising said upper surface being angularly disposeddownwardly toward said rear wall from the front of said receiving cavitywhereby papers received on said supporting surface are biased by gravitytoward engagement with said rear wall to effect desired paper stacking.13. The improvement as defined in claim 12 wherein said diverting meanscomprises a dump gate disposed along said conveyor system forselectively diverting said papers to said paper catcher, said linefurther including means for selectively actuating said gate.
 14. Theimprovement as defined in claim 13 wherein said biasing means comprisescompression springs operably mounted between said platen and said frame,said springs being in a substantially compressed condition when saidplaten is in said first position and in an increasingly expandedcondition as said platen is moved toward said second position.
 15. Theimprovement as defined in claim 14 wherein a pair of said springs aredisposed outboard of each side wall in an operative mechanicalassociation with said platen, said locating means comprising generallyrigid members extending between said frame top and bottom ends andslidably interconnected with said platen, said side walls includingelongated slot means for receiving the interconnection between saidrigid members and said platen with the uppermost ends of said slot meansdefining said first position and the lowermost ends of said slot meansdefining said second position.
 16. The improvement as defined in claim12 further including a front wall for said catcher frame spaced apartfrom said rear wall and adapted to extend said side walls, said frontwall being selectively movable between a first opened position providingaccess to said receiving cavity and a second closed position enclosingsaid receiving cavity.
 17. The improvement as defined in claim 16wherein said front wall is hinged to one of said side walls for pivotalmovement between said first and second positions.
 18. In a paper catcherdevice adapted to receive a plurality of individual papers on a paperreceiving platen wherein said catcher device includes a catcher framehaving side walls and at least a rear wall defining a paper receivingcavity with said platen received in said cavity and adapted forgenerally vertical movement therein such that the uppermost level ofsaid papers remains substantially constant relative to said device, theimprovement comprising: said platen having a paper supporting surfacewhich includes automatic stacking means for stacking said papers in adesired face to face condition as they are received on said supportingsurface, said stacking means comprising said supporting surface beingangularly disposed downwardly toward said rear wall from the front ofsaid cavity whereby papers received on said supporting surface arebiased by gravity toward engagement with said rear wall to effectdesired paper stacking.